The Writing on the Wall
by Andromache Welch
Summary: The first reality fanfic! Based on an RPG. There is a spy at Hogwarts, and its up to the staff to find out who it is before they get caught themselves.
1. Introductions

Disclaimer: Don't own. 'Nuff said.

Prologue:

This fan fiction is based on a new RPG and most text is taken directly from that. We thought it might be fun for people to be able to influence the fic. I dunno, I was bored. Anyway, the site is listed as my homepage in my profile, so check it out, and if not, enjoy the fic!

Chapter One: The Beginning of the Year Feast

Dumbledore looked wearier than ever as the feast started, and so few people had returned to Hogwarts that he found it hard to recognize anyone. Though that could have been the senility setting in. He glanced around at all the new people.

At his right sat Severus Snape, one of his few remaining members of the staff. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher sat beside him, which seemed to annoy him to no end. Down the row was Silva Harpstring, an assistant that Dumbledore hired to help him with the school while he was working. Astronomy master Seraphima Sinistra chatted away animatedly to Algernon Token, the new Muggle Studies teacher. Ava Adore sat poised down the way next to Circe C. Aria. They were both new teachers, and Snape found them all deplorable. Angelic McGonagall ended the staff table. She had come in to replace her mother, and she was the spitting image.

"Hello, everyone," Dumbledore said, quieting the hall as he stood up dramatically, "As you all know, this year we have some new teachers."

He motioned to the new Headmistress.

"This is Silva Harpstring," he said, "she will be taking over some of my work during this school year. To her right," he continued, motioning between Harpstring and Snape, "is our new DADA professor, Andromeda Stone."  
He waited for the polite pause to end.  
"I am sure you will make them feel welcome."

Stone tried to smile when the Headmaster's speech was suddenly directed towards her. She felt very uncomfortable. She was not exactly a socialable person, and she was worried that either the Headmistress or (who was that other person next to her? Snapp?) the potions master would try to strike up a conversation.

Silva Harpstring dove into some rum as soon as the feast began, and anyone who's been around Harpy when she drinks, knows she gets very chatty, and sometimes isn't always very discreet...

Silva Harpstring had been at Hogwarts long enough to have embedded her habits in all the professors, and as Seraphima Sinistra saw her she grew a little worried.  
"Oh, she's got rum..." she whispered to the nervous looking Token seated next to her.

Snape scoffed. Why did the Headmaster always have to seat him next to the DADA teacher? He made it seem like an innocent act, but Snape knew better. Dumbledore knew perfectly well what he was doing. He turned his eyes away to glance out over tables lined with students, both new and old. He narrowed his eyes menacingly at some of the newer ones, impressed to see them pull back. This could be an interesting year.  
He turned his eyes back to the table and his surroundings. The new Dark Arts teacher (Harpstring, was it?) seemed to be on the jittery side. He didn't mind in the least. Less chance for chat. He slowly cast his gaze back over to the expanse of hall before them. Another year... Joy.

"So...Severus, how was your Summer Vacation? Go anywhere warm?" Harpy said turning to face the pale Snape.

Andromeda stared at her food. She didn't feel too hungry right now. She just wanted to go back to her room, she had no desire to talk to people. It seemed the Headmistress was getting a little tipsy.

Apparently Harpstring wasn't the DADA teacher, Snape thought, regarding Stone for the first time. It didn't really make much difference to him, though. It wasn't him and that's all that mattered. At the Harpstring's words, an irritated look crossed his face. What a stupid question.  
"What do you think?" he asked in his usual deep, English drawl as he raised a goblet of firewhiskey to his lips. There was no way she could be serious and he wasn't exactly the humorous type.

Harpy shook her head at this and sighed. "Oh Severus, lighten up. It was a joke." Harpy said quietly. Suddenly Dumbledore stood up and walked over to speak to another professor, putting Sera Sinistra in clear view of Harpy. "Well Hello, Sera! How have you been?"

Andromeda felt slightly embarrassed for Silva, who was, by this point, a little drunk. But at least she was having fun, and was keeping Prof. Sinistra at bay.

Sinistra heard someone call her name.  
Ah, it was a very drunk headmistress.  
"Hi!" she said cheerfully. Then she broke into a whisper, "Silva, don't you think maybe you should have some water instead of more rum? Tomorrow's the first day of classes. You don't want everything all pear shaped, now, do you?"

"Fine. If it'll make you all stop fretting about my alcoholic beverage intake. " She turned to her cup. "Butterbeer" Suddenly, the rum was gone, and Butterbeer had appeared. She sipped the drink. "I'm NOT drunk, Sera!" She said a little more quickly than intended. "Now," she said regaining her composure "how was your summer break?" Sera's need to mother-hen often got on her nerves...

Andromeda folded her napkin and sighed.  
She asked the potions master, "Excuse me, but how much longer is this supposed to go on?"

He was absentmindedly looking over the new first years, picking out who would probably be in his house, when someone's voice seemed to turn to him. He glanced to his left to see that the woman beside him was the one speaking. The new Dark Arts teacher.  
"Well, if he gets started on another speech...," he nodded his head in the direction of the Headmaster as he spoke, crossing his arms on the edge of the table before him, "...we may very well be here all night."

"Bloody brilliant," she said with a hint of sarcasm. She was tired and just wanted to go to her room. She still needed to finish unpacking.

"Summer break was excellent, Headmistress," Sinistra was saying, cutting up her roast beef, "'went to the Everglades. There are many alligators there. It was very nice."

"And you like alligators?" Silva replied, "They sort of scare me...but then again, so do rice cakes..."

"Oh, alligators are so wonderful, ma'am," Sinistra said, becoming enthusiastic, her eyes wide with excitement, "they sit in the water until you think they're just a log, and then..."  
She jumped up and her pumpkin juice went flying everywhere,  
"THEY SNAP AND CHEW YOU INTO LITTLE BITS!"

Food went flying this way and that, pieces of entrée landed on all of the teachers, and pumpkin juiced flooded every plate.

"Pity you don't know from personal experience," she muttered under her breath, Sinistra's outburst causing her head to burst into an agonizing headache.

Harpstring leapt up with Pumpkin juice covering her robes. She sighed, trying to keep her temper and waved her wand, removing the mess. "Sinistra, please leave out the re-enactments in your stories, you KNOW they always get out of hand!"

Ava Adore sat at the table quite content in not saying a word. Surveying the large number of students in the hall, she thought to herself, they must not have very strict admission here. Glancing down the table she sat at, she knew she'd have a change to speak to each professor in due time. Upon seeing one woman jump up and practically scream, she made a mental note to talk to her as little as possible.

"Sorry, headmistress," Sinistra said, sitting, "I guess you'd have to be there."

Harpy hissed with a giggle "AND you just scared Ava, the new Charms professor. Shheessh!"

New Charms professor, thought Snape, Dear Merlin. Now that Filius was gone, he seemed to be the only male on the staff. Only living one unless they'd given Binns the boot, too. Hopefully these women weren't as hormone driven as they seemed at the moment. He turned his eyes over to them, chatting happily away. He realized he had been completely ignoring them, not that that was very unusual or anything. He brushed a hand back through his hair and lifted the goblet again, letting his eyes linger absently over them each in turn.

Andromeda decided it was time to go.  
"Goodnight, Headmistress," she said, rising to leave.

Dumbledore had found himself very amused. This year would hopefully turn out better than the last.

"Goodnight Andromeda, sleep well."

Circe thought it was strange for her to be sitting on this side of the professors table, the hall looked so much larger from here. The last time she was in this hall she was a student and on the other side. Though she was sitting at the end of the table she could hear the professors talking about there summer vacations and was quite happy not to be included in that topic. She would undoubtedly have to lie about her most recent vacation if anyone asked.  
Dumbledore noticed Snape, once again, not participating in the fun.  
"Liven up, Severus!" he said with a laugh, patting his shoulder, "It's the beginning of a new school year! New minds for moulding!"

A very unenthusiastic look crossed his features as the Headmaster reminded him of all the new students.

In a tone almost dripping with sarcasm, he replied under his breath, averting his eyes from the mass of students before him, "Joy..."

In the next chapter: The characters find out there is a mole at Hogwarts! Oh dear!

Also, flames don't work, because I didn't write most of this! HAHAHAHA!


	2. Breakfast and Breakdowns

Chapter 2: Breakfast and a Breakdown

The hall was sparkling with morning light at six o'clock the next morning, and the only sounds was the echo of footsteps which were soon stopped.

Andromeda sat at the staff table long before any of the other teachers were there. She wanted to avoid any contact possible. She took a large serving of eggs and filled her goblet with pumpkin juice. She made a mental note to bring a flask of vodka to breakfast tomorrow. If she couldn't have decent brekkers, at least she would get a screwdriver.

Circe C. Astor then entered the great hall for breakfast a little earlier than would have liked. She hated it when she couldn't get back to sleep in the early morning. But decided it take the opportunity to go for a run in the forest after breakfast ... in her animagus form. After taking some pancakes, syrup and a rather large amount of blueberries she sat two seats down from Professor Stone and acknowledged her with a small smile then began to eat.

Andromeda nodded with a small smile on her lips to return the semi-greeting to Circe. She then continued spiking her orange juice.

After a long silence, broken sometimes by the shifting of weight or the clanging of a fork on a plate, the doors to the hall swung open, and a thus far unidentified man walked in.

Marcus Elliot tripped into the hall looking like he hadn't slept all night, which was about the truth. He had missed the train to Hogwarts, and therefore had to hitchhike the entire way.  
He stumbled though the place, arriving at the staff table. He noticed two women he didn't recognize at all sitting at the table. He smiled and put his sunglasses on the top of his head.  
"Did I miss the feast?" he asked in an American accent.

Sinistra was walking into the great hall when she heard a familiar voice. Entering the hall, she saw that indeed it was Elliot, her old friend, practically a brother.  
"Marcus Elliot, you're late!" she said, walking up to him and giving him a warm hug. "How's my favourite Yankee?"

"A bit hung over." He replied, hugging her back, "How's my favourite victory cabbage?"

"Well, you know what they say," she replied, "Alter schutzt vor torheit nicht!"

Andromeda was not happy with this interruption of her mostly quiet morning.   
"Excuse me," she said in her English drawl, putting an emphasise on it due to the fact that she was the only English person in this conversation, "As touching as this reunion is, perhaps you could remove it to where it would be less disruptive?"

Elliot heard the sarcastic British drawl, and he turned his head to look at its creator.  
She was pretty, but she looked like she never smiled. Blonde. Not bad.  
"And who is this little ray of sunshine?" he asked Sinistra, not looking away from the blonde ice queen.

"You may refer to me as Professor Stone, sir," she replied coldly, "I will tolerate no other title, and this includes 'little ray of sunshine'."  
She raised her eyebrow and used the fact that she was literally looking down on him to her advantage.  
"And what do you call yourself?"

"Marcus Elliot," he said, walking up the stairs so he was level with Stone, "I teach sixth and seventh year History. Just got back from New York. My friends call me Elliot."  
He noted Stone's cold gaze.  
"So I'd wager you'd prefer to call me Professor Elliot," he added, "considering you're giving me frostbite over here."

Andromeda stood, trying to stay above Elliot. She was disappointed when she saw that he was a good five inches taller than she was. Damn it.  
"I doubt I will have any need to call you anything, Professor Elliot," she closed the discussion thusly, "I will bid you all good morning."  
She then collected her things and left, still annoyed that she had been robbed her quiet breakfast by an imposing American and his neurotic German accomplice.

"Well, that was fun," he said, watching Stone storm out, "we should do that more often."  
He turned back to Sinistra.  
"Anything interesting happen while I was away?"

"Not too much." Sinistra replied, sneering at Stone as she left. "You should talk to Albus, though. He's been looking for you."

At that moment, an owl flew in and dropped a note on the table besides Sinistra. She cocked her eyebrow and opened it, her eyes growing wide as she read.

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Harpstring entered the Staff room waiting for all the staff to arrive in response to the urgent Owl's she'd sent out. Once most of them had arrived, she motioned for them to be seated and took a deep breath. Dumbledore was not there, so naturally she would be conducting this meeting.

"As you all know" she began "these are different times. And, it has recently come to my attention that vital information is being passed from within this school, one of you." she said pointedly "is a Mole." She waited for this to sink in before continuing.

"This can't continue. I want you all to be very careful with your comments to one another and if anyone has any information as to the identity of the Spy, my door is open day and night. We must find this traitor."

She looked around to see their reactions.

Andromeda raised her eyebrows. She was surprised that there was someone inside Hogwarts. Dumbledore usually had a handle on these things.  
"Where is Albus?" she asked.

Sinistra was shocked. Her mouth dropped open.  
"Yes," she said, agreeing slightly with Stone, "what does Dumbledore have to say?"

"Dumbledore had some other business to attend to in London, he asked me to tell you this." Silva looked at several Order members, as they would understand.

Trelawney gasped "A Mole in our presence! I would have... I mean, I Saw this coming... If only the Headmistress had listened to me when I told her..." She shook her head and fake tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You haven't spoken to me since the Feast." Harpstring said dryly.

A spy among them, Ava thought. When she took the job of Professor Assistant she figured she'd be dealing with students and their problems ... a spy ... this would make the year much more interesting. She kept her feelings inside, no need to have people looking at her oddly. She said nothing and looked concerned ... just as everyone else was.

Token looked gobsmacked.  
"How could that possibly slip through Dumbledore?" he asked Silva, who seemed to be bombarded with the same questions by nearly every one else in the room.

"If only we knew..." She said to Token.

Ava leaned against one of the walls while she listened to Harpstring inform everyone of a "mole" in their presence. A mole, a spy ... this wouldn't be tolerated for very long back at her old school. There were quick ways to find a spy amongst them, though she doubted this group would stand for such procedures ... as it required a bit of ... torture.  
"You all seem to have high respect for the Headmaster and his magical abilities." she said. "But it is never a good thing to depend on one person for everyone else's safety ... no mater how talented that individual is." She paused to let that bit of advice sink in.  
"So, how are we going to find this spy?"

"Well...That is why we are telling you all, apart from your right to know... the Mole needs to be found." Silva replied.

"Doesn't that mean that the mole is one of us?" he asked, beginning to shake like a leaf. He had never been a suspect before. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out what it was like.

"Yes." Harpstring said solemnly. "One of you is the Mole."

Stone's eyebrows rose again.  
"How can you be sure?" she asked deeply.

"Dumbledore informed me only that one of the staff was a Mole."

She frowned.  
"Then why doesn't Dumbledore know who it is?"

"Because you all are very new and very multi-dimensional. He believes that it would be quickest if we all know, are aware, and are looking for it." Silva concluded.

Andromeda scoffed. Dumbledore must have some reason for not showing up, and an even bigger reason for no knowing who the mole was. Or perhaps he did...

With a slight sigh, Ava stood up from the wall and looked at everyone.

"Well then, one of us is leaking information to someone or someone's who should not know this ... valuable information. Why not use veritaserum on everyone and get this over with?" She looked over to Harpstring.

Sitting in his usual worn black leather chair in the shadowy part of the room, Snape watched the others go through random stages of fear and paranoia. It was only a matter of time before the blame was shot in his direction. It always was, given his past especially. He crossed his arms nonchalantly over his chest, apparently not very concerned about the goings on. Instead of watching the co-headmistress, he let a probing gaze linger momentarily on each of the staff members in turn, but remained quiet. When Trelawney walked in, he turned to her with an unimpressed brow raised.

Listening to everyone's worry, well almost everyone's ... Circe couldn't help but let a slight grin form on her lips. Trelawney and Token seemed the most frightened, she thought, this might be fun.

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Harpstring wandered around the Forest. It was musky, due to the coming rain. She heard the cry of an Augurey and headed in that direction. She needed a new quill and she was determined to find some to show her class.

Andromeda Stone was also taking a midnight stroll and was surprised to hear leaves crunching in the distance, as if someone was walking about the wood.  
"Hello?" she called.

Startled upon hearing the voice, Harpstring stopped suddenly. Alarmed she pulled out her wand. She moved automatically-- performing a Silencing Charm on her feet, pulling an invisibility cloak about her, one she carried with her always, she moved quickly towards the sound.

Noticing the stopping of the noise, Stone took out her wand and proceeded with caution.

Harpstring came upon a dark figure moving away from her, wand outstretched. "Stop and drop your wand." she said calmly. She couldn't make out who it was.

Stone heard a voice command her to drop her wand. An auror would have no intention of surrenders, so why should an ex-auror?  
"I'd prefer not to." she said calmly, her back still to the enemy.

"Turn around." Silva said, stony cold.

"I didn't hear the magic word," Andromeda replied slyly, raising her wand so it wouldn't show in her profile.

"You will now!" Harpstring said, losing her patience and calm. "Stupefy!" She cried aiming toward the figure.

Andromeda thought fast and screamed out,  
"Flippendo!", repelling the stupefy, though still shredding her left shoulder a bit.  
"You're messing with a bored ex-auror, missy," she said, smiling, "I'd be careful if I were you."  
"Expelliarmus!"

Harpstring looked at the woman. _HA! Like I'm some inexperience witch wandering the woods at night. Ex-auror? We'll see... _Dodging the spell she flipped around and cried "LUMOS!" Aiming towards her eyes, few auror would expect to be blinded by a simple, yet powerfully cast spell.

The light hit Andromeda like a train. She covered her eyes, and quickly yelled "nox!"

Harpstring seized the moment and cried "STUPEFY!" once more. Hopefully this deer in headlights would be stopped.

The curse hit her right in her arm, sending her wand across the forest floor. She yelled, "Accio" and it zipped back.  
Before she could think about the pain in her arm, she shot back "Ricumsemptra!"

The spell hit Harpstring's cloak, singing it a tad. "Watch it, you!" Harpstring yelled angrily. This WAS her favourite cloak. She tried another tactic, pointing to the mystery witch's wounded arm (with her wand) she cried 'Accio Wand!'

Andromeda felt her wand pulling away from her, but kept a tight grasp on it.   
"I don't think so," she said through clenched teeth, "I may not like working here, but it's my job to make sure people like you aren't on the grounds."  
With a final tug at her wand, she cursed, "Flipendo!", shooting a huge orange light across the forest, hitting the intruder square in the legs.

Harpstring heard the comment and then barely dodged the spell, though still singing her leg. "You WORK here?" Ex-auror...Ex-auror... "STONE!"

Stone brushed the hair from her eyes. She kept her wand at the ready and said nothing.

"Stone! You idiot. It's me, Harpstring." She stood up and stalked toward her until seconds ago, enemy. He wand was still out, and she was pretty pissed.

Stone heard Harpstring reveal herself, and lowered her wand. She was not too amused at being addressed as 'idiot', however.  
"Pardon me, Headmistress," she said, "but as I recall YOU opened fire on ME."

"I tried to Stun you, nothing more, that's where you began duelling as I recall" Silva said stony cold. "Stone, you are wandering in this wood for what reason? Looking for someone?" She was suddenly very suspicious. She had every right to be in this wood and to Stun whoever she liked. Stone was suspicious, and right now she just didn't like her.

"Duelling has nothing to do with self defence, Headmistress," Stone replied haughtily, "if a dark wizard finds you out in the woods, he's not going to stop for pleasantries."  
When Harpstring asked why she was there, a thin smile crossed her lips.  
"I am a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Miss Harpstring," she said, "I'm hoping to find a specimen. I'm not sure if it's very safe for you to be out and about here."

"Headmistress, is perfectly fine, Stone" at being addressed as 'Miss Harpstring.' "First of all," she said as if addressing a student, because that is what she felt like she was, "I am perfectly safe to be here, Stone. I believe I've dealt with my fair share of Death Eater's in my time, I've been doing it since an age when you were still failing Muggle Studies." This was something she rarely told any, and it was her rage that brought it out. It was true. Her grandfather being who he was, she was targeted while still at school and she and her best friend had been attacked while in their 6th Year. She'd seen her best friend die at a young age. She grew up quite fast up after that...  
"And just to appease your curiosity." she spat "I was collecting Augurey feathers. I need a new quill. Don't get so _cocky_" she said. Her background check had been quite extensive on Stone, and she knew quite a bit about her.

Andromeda did flinched slightly when Harpstring said that last sentence. This meant war.  
"I have seen, captured and even killed more death eaters than you will ever know existed, Harpstring," Stone said, "Seeing one of your friends die is nothing compared to what I have seen. Get off your high horse, because this world we live in is hard, painful and often disappointing, and I am seven years your senior and will not be addressed as anything less."  
She huffed.  
"Even if you are temporary Headmistress."

"Age is no guarantee of maturity. I've seen third-years more mature than some professors, I am not a temporary Headmistress, For your information. And I've yet to see a DADA teacher last longer than a year." She said almost daring her to succeed. Something Harpstring did subconsciously. She did that a lot. She scoffed at herself silently. "Good Night, Stone." This woman was a moron. Not that she'd said anything that wasn't particularly morony herself.

Andromeda scoffed and pocketed her wand.  
"You always end with a jade's trick," she said to herself.  
Harpstring was a kind of wizard she disliked. High and mighty because they had a scruff with one death eater. It was because of people like her that her job was so frustrating.

"Just because we are all not Aurors, does not mean we are all worthless. " Silva reminded the Ex-Auror.

"Not all," Stone replied icily.  
She was not at all confused as to who had more experience.

That was it. She snapped. "Stop it! Stop counting, does it really matter whether you see your friends or your enemies die? We've all seen death! I don't care if you've killed more. This War, this world--I think it's disgusting. You've objectified the entire thing into some social cache, some score in a game you're winning. Stop!" With that she stalked off. She wanted bed.

Andromeda raised her eyebrows and nearly chuckled to herself.  
"Dumbledore shouldn't have chosen someone so high strung for the job," she mused. "And so naive."

She whipped back around wand out. "Don't Stone. I believe we are on the same side. Don't let you're competitive arrogance get in the way. Dumbledore has faith in you, and therefore, so do I." She said. It was true. It didn't mean she didn't hate her too. She began to walk away.

"I'd advise you not to threaten me, Harpstring," she called after her, "I may not be an auror anymore, but I've been duelling since before you could even work your wand properly."


End file.
